Warning - This article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 2.
The latest episode of The Mandalorian Season 2 was jawdropping . "Chapter 11: The Heiress" delivered our first look at Bo-Katan Kryze in live-action, seen previously in The Clone Wars and Rebels . For the first time, it seems like Season 2's larger story is really taking off.
But within the bigger narratives, there's always smaller details worthy of recognition. Earlier in the season, we saw the return of part of Anakin Skywalker's podracer from The Phantom Menace and the Krykna spiders from Rebels . That trend continues with "Chapter 11," as familiar Imperial vehicles and designs have reemerged...
NEWS
In The Mandalorian "Chapter 11: The Heiress," the remains of an AT-AT serve as a crane, inspired by concept art for The Force Awakens depicting similar vegetation-covered wreckage:
"Chapter 11" also saw the appearance of an Imperial Gozanti -class cruiser, previously seen briefly in the Prequel Trilogy and frequently in The Clone Wars and Rebels :
WHAT THIS MEANS
For those who have a copy of the Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens book nearby, the piece featuring the crummy AT-AT walker remains can be seen towards the early stages of the design process. Jakku was once considered to be a water world, where downed AT-ATs and Star Destroyers would be common place in the sea near the local settlement.
While that concept was abandoned for the film, no piece of Star Wars art ever goes unused. To this day, early Ralph McQuarrie designs are still making their way into new projects, as seen in "Chapter 10" with the Krykna spiders. The AT-AT reference in "Chpater 11" is subtle to the missing upper part of the walker's body, the sound of the machinery and the oceanic debris on the legs of what's functioning as a crane give the nod away.
We've seen the Gozanti- class cruiser many times before, even in live-action. The ship appears in different variations in both The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones , and can be seen from a long distance in Solo: A Star Wars Story . It became a frequently appearing vessel in The Clone Wars , showing up as recently as the series' final season.
But what makes this particular form of the ship notable is that it was seen frequently in Star Wars Rebels . While there were no TIE Fighters attached in "Chapter 11," the same type of Gozanti in many Rebels episodes, frequently commandeered by Agent Kallus before his joining the Rebel Alliance.
With a show like The Mandalorian putting such a unique spin on Star Wars and exploring uncharted territory, seeing familiar things is both cool and a nice way of tying everything together. Concept art done for previous projects will undoubtedly continue to appear in this series and future entries in the Star Wars universe, and Imperial vessels won't be going away any time soon - the Mandalorian war against the Remnant is just beggining.
